In Finland Cultural Values Determine Success

If you've been following the story of education at all this past year, you will know that Finland is touted as a great success story in its approach to education. Highlights from this video about their approach to education include what they privilege as a culture:

1. Social justice, fairness and honesty
2. Safety nets and care
3. Shared responsibility
4. Education as a public good
5. Confidence in public institutions
6 Literacy is part of Finnish cultural DNA
7 Small is beautiful/Talk less/Less is more

If you watch to the end you will find out that in Finland, education is considered a fundamental human right which is enshrined in their constitution. It is illegal to charge a fee for education.

A view from Europe: What is next for Finland? from CEA ACE on Vimeo.

More on "Reading Just Ain't What it Used to Be

This post was not intended to denigrate the traditional paper book, which I too will continue to enjoy, but was about exploring the possibilities that now exist because of the evolution of technology and how having access to a device while I read is causing changes in how I interact with text.  As an educator, I can't help but think how this will transfer to reading in my classroom once more students have devices in hand.

This was the first time I found myself frustrated by the limitations of the form. The text I was reading required knowledge not within my current schema. In the past I might have abandoned the text because of my inability to create context, or I might have continued to read, skipping over that which I did not understand, or I might have pursued a few of the ideas and new vocabulary, but definitely not to the extent that I am doing now. With a device I can search and construct knowledge while reading so that the text becomes more meaningful.  This has led inevitably to a slowing down of the reading process as I read rhizomatically rather than linearly - if those words might be allowed.


The possibility to seek additional information has always existed, as Nigel Victor Rees pointed out to me on twitter, but ease of access to that information has not.  For a student to develop a question while reading and to persist in finding the answer to that question requires easy access to information.  It becomes a complex process when the only source material is printed books. It requires the school to have appropriate texts on hand at the requisite reading level of the student and it requires that those materials be accessible while the student has the question in mind.  This is definitely not the case in most schools, particularly with the elimination of teacher-librarians who in the past would have helped students find answers to their questions. I suspect that there are many, many students who leave our classrooms with unanswered questions because of lack of easy access to knowledge. With the transition to well-constructed e-readers or devices or whatever form the modern textbook will take, there is a greater chance that the students will actually persist in finding answers to their questions.

Being able to click on links and interact with the text can only be a good thing when it comes to developing critical thinking skills.  When questionable information is presented, the capacity now exists to fact check, compare sources and more actively question the validity of texts while reading, rather than having to pursue this after the text has been read and for feedback to be given to the authors of the texts so that corrections can be made.

It is not is not that suggestions of where to pursue additional information are not included in printed textbooks. References are there. However, when a website suggestion is made, this requires a student to have access to a computer, to log in, to wait several minutes to access the web, to key in a sometimes lengthy URL and then finally to search the site.  The complexity of this process deters most students from even beginning.  With e-textbooks every student will be able to quickly access relevant information with a simple click. Why wouldn't we want that for our students?   It's not that the traditional and familiar process of reading a printed text is not an enjoyable experience, it's that the possibility of pursuing a different reading experience now exists and will, I believe, make the process of reading richer. 

Reading Just Ain't What it Used to Be ...

Today marks the death of the paper book. For me that is. I received a paper book this Christmas, Arguably Essays, by Christopher Hitchens. It is always a pleasure to read eloquent writing, but I find myself frustrated by the one-dimensional nature of the text. I realize that reading is no longer a linear activity. I find myself wanting to read in layers, in divergent streams as I explore ideas in the text and seek answers to questions that arise as I read. I am searching for links to click on, particularly when historical references are made. So I sit with device in hand conducting searches, seeking clarification.

This same desire does not occur as I read The Hunger Games, a work of fiction.  It is non-fiction that has driven me to a new way of reading.

As an educator, it prompts me to consider the textbooks that sit on our shelves. It's over.  This pleases me.  As e-readers or tablets or whatever form the modern text will take becomes the norm, the process of reading and interacting with "text" is about to become so much more engaging for our students. In exchange for this richer experience, educators must be prepared to release control over what each student chooses to interact with as they read.  Within a broad topic, one student may choose to click on a biographical account of a key player in an event while another student chooses to click on a detailed explanation of the weaponry used during the event, while another seeks information on the clothing and lifestyle of the period.  Each student will be able to further explore based on personal interests and reading level.  What perhaps will be eliminated is the drifting off into daydreams that occurs when texts fails to engage readers. Perhaps, finally, there will be something for everyone.

A Little Bit of Lovely

Had I never entered into social media learning, I would never have had this little bit of lovely pop into my life.

Last week after the Hamilton Spectator article featuring the work we are doing at Dundas Central appeared, I received a phone call from one Louise Siwak. Louise had been asked over the last few years if she had a daughter named Heidi and after seeing the article, decided to track me down to see if and how we are related. After exploring various avenues we determined that Louise was married to Stan, who has since passed on, and Stan was a cousin of my father.

When I mentioned the call to my parents, they remembered Louise and Stan well. It turns out that as a child,  I was even present at their daughter's wedding. Our families had lost touch over the years, but now, because of social media, our paths have reconnected. Today, I received a card and letter from Louise in immaculate cursive writing extending an invitation to visit.

I showed the card to several people at work. We paused in wonder. When was the last time any of us had received a hand-written letter?  It spoke of another world. A world of graciousness. A world that I remember. A world of eagerly peering into mailboxes hoping for an unexpected surprise. Another time and place.  For a moment it made me very sad. It gave me pause. In our rush to connectedness, how connected are we? Really? I cannot tell you what was in the last 100 tweets and emails I received or even sent, but I can tell you what was in Louise's letter. I thought of the time it would have taken to select a card, gather paper and pen, write the text, purchase a stamp, walk to a mailbox and post it. Thank you Louise for taking that time.

Over the holidays I will visit Louise and bring my parents along to enjoy this little bit of lovely.

Shifting Sands

To educators caught between old world new world, it must feel like shifting sands. It is difficult to find firm footing these days as so much of what we thought important dissipates, leaving feelings of uncertainty. Which way to move? Ten years from now, it will be obvious, but for those who grew up in a pre-digital world, there is fog.

I was standing at our QR Code bulletin board during lunch break demonstrating QR Codes to a group of students and a teacher. I held an iPod up to scan the code which then linked to our You Tube Channel and the instructional video created by two students on how to create QR codes. As we peered in wonder at the screen, another teacher came by with confiscated devices in hand. Students are not to use them except for school appropriate activities. A few had had their devices out during break and had been texting. The teacher on duty, following school expectations, had taken away the devices.

The teacher, a colleague I admire a great deal, stopped, looked at the confiscated devices in hand and then in wonder at how we were using our device,  "I think we need a new policy," she stated. Indeed.

There is a broad range of practice at this moment in educational time. There are schools that remain locked down, under "control", no internet here! There are schools that have fully accepted devices, where a device is akin to a pencil - a tool that a teacher would never consider removing, unless said student was using it to write on the desk or the wall, which I suppose is the equivalent of texting at inappropriate times.  And then, there are the schools like my own that have wireless and the capacity for BYOD and are exploring boundaries while attempting to come to terms with this new world of anytime, anyplace, anyway, with anyone communication.  It is not easy making this transition. Please allow us time to experience being lost in the desert. Eventually the oasis will appear, but we're not quite there yet!

More on QR Codes

Students are adding QR Codes to their Arctic Oil Magazines.

Almost all magazines are now in and are on display in the hallway.

Explaining QR Codes

My students have been having great fun exploring the potential of QR Codes. Since Emma and Edie were finished the Oil in the Arctic Inquiry, they had time to put together this instructional video. A QR Code for the video is on the bulletin board in the hallway so any student with a device can scan it and learn how to create a QR Code.

Interview Clip: Gr 7's Compare PBL to Testing

This clip is from a longer interview I had with 6 grade 7 students.  They had some interesting things to say when asked about the difference between standardized testing (EQAO) and project-based learning.  There is a bit of background noise as the interview was during class time. There will be more interviews to follow.

Impressive Work is Being Submitted!

Our inquiry is coming to an end and I am very pleased with the process. I found a way to structure accountability into the collaborative part of the project and make a smooth transition into individual work that required demonstration of learning. I finally have a process that works well.

Using the Document Camera for Shared Revising

One of my favourite uses for the document camera is shared editing and revising. My grade 7 students have been working on an inquiry on oil exploration in the Arctic. Their culminating task will be to produce a magazine article presenting points of view. (details are on the Grade 7 page.)  Most students are at the writing stage so I deemed this an appropriate moment to teach revising.

I asked the class a question: when I mark this, what will I be looking for? The yellow post-its are ideas the students generated. They are part of our Success Criteria for this unit.  The meaning on the notes may not to be evident to an outside observer - that is not the point.  Because they have been co-created by students and myself, they are meaningful to us.  Once ideas had been generated I put a piece of writing under the document camera for discussion purposes.  The students already knew the topic well and were able to easily spot the flaws. They could explain what needed to be done to bump up the quality of the work. 

Technology in Our Classroom

26 Amazing Facts about Finnish Education

http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-school-2011-12?utm_source=twbutton&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=europe#the-children-are-not-measured-at-all-for-the-first-six-years-of-their-education-3

The Spectator

It seems there's a great deal of interest in the work we are doing at Dundas Central.

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/639531--dundas-teacher-engages-students-through-technology

Stinging Indictment of Online For Profit and Charter Schools

There is a disturbing trend in education south of the border that I have been following for the last year. The private sector has figured out how to turn the public school system into for-profit enterprise and the results aren't always pretty. Essentially, corporations are now doing to the education system, what they've done to the banking system.

The following is a stinging indictment from the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/education/online-schools-score-better-on-wall-street-than-in-classrooms.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

Florida is perhaps suffering the most from this trend. http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011125014/what-happens-when-edu-bubble-bursts

The story has been-on-going on twitter, but as not everyone who reads my blog is on twitter, I thought it important to share what is happening.  Eventually that pressure to privatize education will be felt in Canada. It is prudent to be armed with knowledge for when the persuasive arguments begin.

Emma Explains

If you've been following us on twitter, you know that one of my students is experimenting with social media for learning. She wanted to speak directly with a Russian scientist or anyone knowledgeable in Russia to learn first hand their point of view on oil exploration in the Arctic. Today I interviewed Emma to learn more. There is background noise as the interview was done during class time.


 

Cynthia Jabar Explains

Cynthia Jabar has written an excellent post listing outlining "  the transformation taking place in children's publishing with innovators using transmedia storytelling methods." She does a fabulous job explaining the larger significance and scope of the app project.  Have a look!

http://www.transmediakids.com/p/social-media-strategy.html?spref=tw

Teaching Process and Planning

Now that I have begun to understand inquiry a little better, I realize that when I've assigned projects in the past, I've done way too much work for my students.  The projects that I thought were amazing rich learning because they looked so beautiful when they were submitted, were actually little more than hoop jumping.  It was I who designed the format, created the planning sheets, selected the format for notetaking, and provided models of finished products. Students never had to devise their own innovative procedures.

Toss that idea!  How can students possibly learn to develop a research project, unless they are given the opportunity to plan and develop the processes? How can divergent thinking possibly occur when opportunities to think divergently are not embedded in the task? How can they assess and reflect critically on their processes unless they've designed the process themselves?

For my grade 6 students, I've changed my approach.  I've given my students no structure nor model to follow.  As part of the project, students have to think about and develop systems for research. My role is to meet with them and prompt them to formulate ideas about planning and process.  This initially left students somewhat unsettled, but as they progress, I'm beginning to see new thinking and skills emerge.

What I have done, is give each student a file folder in which to keep the project and on the inside cover, they are to record their process and plan next steps.  I interviewed the student below about how he is organizing the project, prompted him to fully explain his thinking and recorded comments as we went.  Our conversation centered on reflection and feedback. It took only a few minutes.

During our meeting I asked questions.

What have you done so far?
How are you organizing the information that you gather?
What have you already decided?
Where have you begun to look for information?
How are you keeping track of the sources of information?
Are you assessing the validity of the sites you are visiting? How are you doing this?
What issues are you having? How are you solving them?
For this student who finds organizing challenging, I suggested he look at google docs to see if it would be a useful way to manage the information so it won't be lost. I haven't told him to use it, I've merely pointed him towards it. It is up to him to experiment with the tool to determine if it is effective.

The students below already have good project planning skills and only needed to quickly jot down their process.

What I am doing is acting as a facilitator of process. By working in this way, students have more opportunity for creativity in the approach to the task and actually have to think about design rather than merely follow instructions.

Please read the comments on this post as well. I received excellent and very useful feedback.

Class 62 Research Project

Grade 6 Students have a research project due on January 20. The outline for the project is under Class 62.
Students have selected a country and we have come up with a list of topics that would be interesting to learn about. There are curriculum based required elements.

As part of the project, students are learning how to use social media to contact people in other countries to gain first hand information. The class would like to learn what school and life is like for children their age (11/12). I am attempting to set up Skype sessions with classes in the following countries. If you would like to Skype with us, please send an email to Class62siwak@gmail.com or on twitter: @class62siwak or leave a comment on this blog. If anyone can point us in the right direction for contacting schools in these countries please leave your suggestions. Thanks.

China
Indonesia
Morocco
Italy
Greece
Scotland
England
Bangladesh
Thailand
USA
Japan
Mexico
Hungary
France
Poland
Ukraine
Germany
Russia
Netherlands

Now This Was Worth a Screen Capture!

Globe and Mail: Classrooms of the Future Now

Well, we've made it into the Globe and Mail! I've been recognized as one of the innovators leading classrooms of the future now, as part of the "The Future of Education" series.
The web version doesn't include photos, so I will scan and post.
This was a thrilling moment for my students and myself.  It's a team effort though. From Ian, Esa and Cynthia, to my amazing colleagues at Dundas Central, to my husband who provides the tech expertise and tools that I lack, to my daughters who listen to me blather on, to admin who provides support and encouragement to my PLN on twitter to ...

 ... of course ... my students ... my amazing students.  You're the ones who've pushed me forward, especially those who've embraced new technology and encouraged me to take risks. I've learned alongside you and it is a privilege to be your ... no, I just can't say "teacher" anymore ... your colearner.

I want to let you know how proud I am of you. You are taking what we've learned and making it your world. I see you building excellent digital footprints, using social media to reach those from whom you wish  to learn, pushing boundaries and exploring new territory. I see you creating original work and developing systems that your peers can follow. You are the trailblazers and that's a pretty nice tag to have on your digital profiles!

I remember the first time a student used social media to contact me outside of my regular teaching day with a request for assistance about a tech problem he was having with our livestreaming site: Hub21 TV. I looked at the comment and realized that everything I knew about teaching and education was about to change. I stared at it for quite a while wondering what to do. Finally, I thought to myself ... if this was anyone else and I had the expertise, I would immediately respond. This is merely a learner wishing to learn, using the tools available for learning.  I replied ...  I entered fully into this world of anytime, anyplace, anyhow and from anyone learning. And am I ever glad that I did.

A note for my two daughters - under my picture - it says "cool" right on the front page. It's in print, so it will no longer be in question. Now you know for sure! ;)